02:06 am - Adventures in Home RoboticsWe got a Roomba for Christmas, and I love it. I have also noticed a few things about it. Initially, when I turned it on, I watched it, which didn't really save me much time compared to using a vacuum cleaner myself. Now I turn it one when we're going out. I've done this twice, and the result has been looking around the house for it after we return, in exactly the same fashion that me might look and see where one of the cats had gotten to. Like the cats, it never comes when called. Also, despite reports of some people anthropomorphizing it, I have not found an inclination to do so - I react to it far more as a large useful motorized toy than as a creature.

Speaking of the cats, they don't love it, but it's also not something they see as a threat - unlike the vast and deadly cat-predator that is all of their vision of our vacuum cleaner, so it's clearly a win to them. It also sweeps under the bed, which resulted in it pushing all manner of things out from under the bed, including a great many socks. I have discovered the two places it seems to get trapped when we go out, so further ventures out while running it should be even more successful in terms of it cleaning. However, it's clearly doing a lot, since it seems to collect a truly impressive amount of cat fur every time we run it.Current Mood:amused